Jabra Talk Bluetooth Headset Review

Let us begin with some rants about some of the many Bluetooth headsets we have tried out in the past. When Bluetooth headsets first hit the scene they were all the rage and no one wanted to be seen talking into a wired a headset, ironically not a single one of those geeky Bluetooth headsets were actually Bluetooth 2.0 enabled or even capable of receiving or playing music assuming your phone could stream music via Bluetooth. On top of that, the mics were generally not that great and the battery would get you through your commute to work but fail on the commute home.[Compare Prices]

Let's not forget the whole pairing fiasco either: how many times did you have to hold down the single button on your Bluetooth headset hoping that you had just turned it on, trying to figure out the series of beeps or watched to see if light blinked enough times to be in pairing mode, and after all that maybe it would or would not connect with your phone if you had the right password. What a joke! The Jabra TALK headset puts an end to all of those annoying problems and has truly set the bar when it comes to easy to use technology right at your fingertips. For the first time in years we may just give up our wired mic'd headset for talking and listening to music and just stick with the Talk.

Main features and specifications:

Bluetooth enabled

HD voice technology

Easy auto pairing with devices

Streams multimedia including music, podcasts, directions

Multiuse connection

Up to 6 hours talk time and 8 days standby time

Limited one-year warranty

What We Liked:

The Ins and Outs: When we opened the box and pulled out the Jabra Talk, it was already charged which was a nice surprise. On the inside of the device is an actual on/off switch, and it is obvious which direction is on and which is off. When you turn it on, there are two little LED lights on the inside of the device that light up to tell you it is on and indicate 'green' if it has sufficient charge and another 'blue' to indicate that it has paired successfully to a phone. When you are ready to pair it to your phone, we were using an iPhone, simply enable Bluetooth and it will pair with your phone automatically without you having to enter in a pass code. Thank you for keeping it simple Jabra! However, if your phone needs the pass code, Jabra printed it on the box instead of burying it in some tiny little instruction manual so it is easy to find.

Snug Fit: Simply pick out one of the various included earpieces to get the right fit for you. The Jabra is small and lightweight so you will hardly notice it is there, if anything the little hook that goes over ear is almost too tight and it is a little bit tricky to put on without pressing the main button on the device three or four times. But do not fear, it won't dial and you will just hear the Jabra girl say "connected" a few times, letting you know that the device is ready to go.

The Talk While Driving: Once we had the Talk on our ear we tested out a variety of apps, podcasts and music to see how well it performed. We tested the Jabra for several days on the commute to work and back. We listened to hours of crystal clear 3G streaming Stitcher radio, even while receiving turn-by-turn directions from both Waze and Scout GPS. There was never a hiccup with this device, the sound was perfect we actually had to turn the sound down at times. The great part is that you sound via your phone and there are also volume controls on the Talk itself, which are easily accessed while wearing the device, even while in the middle of a conversation. Even while listening to music while driving we were able to receive phone calls easily by pressing the large answer button on the outside of the Jabra.

A split-second after pressing the button the call is answered and you can clearly hear the person on the other end, just as they can clearly hear you. No one ever asked if we were on a Bluetooth headset and most callers did not even know we were in the car. We have had several bad experiences with other headsets where we sound like we were calling from a wind tunnel, so this was a nice bonus to an already great headset. This is the first Bluetooth device we have used that can transmit streaming Bluetooth music and other multimedia with a single speaker. The ability to be able to hear all sounds from our phone through a Bluetooth headset instead of the normal tangled mess of a wired headset really makes the Jabra TALK a homerun! We also appreciated the Multiuse feature, allowing us to pair up two different Bluetooth devices simultaneously with this headset, making the Talk even more useable.

Talk Time: We tested the Talk out for three days straight while commuting. We listened to music, podcasts and did a lot of talking before it needed a charge, giving a pretty good validation to six hours of talk time before needing a recharge. No worries about knowing when the battery is low either, you will receive voice announcements about battery life and connection status so you can get the best performance out of this headset every time.

What We Didn't Like:

Very Minor Flaws: Like we said, putting this device on is a little tricky at first if you have big fingers, since the over the ear clip is a little tight and can be tricky but it does provide a very snug fit. You also get an AC charger with this Jabra, but we would have appreciated a USB cable of some sort so we could also charge it at our computer when not in use.

Our Verdict:

In all honesty, we were just plain happy with the performance of this headset. With a Bluetooth connection, multimedia streaming abilities, long battery life, easy set up and use and great sound quality, the Talk is in a field of its own when compared to other headsets on the market today. All of those annoying problems we had with other headsets are like ancient history with the TALK and it is as if Jabra built this headset by learning from the flaws of its predecessors and built the Bluetooth headset that we all wanted but no one had made yet.